Chapter 592: Bluffing (Part 1)

Although unsure if he had truly seen a ghost, he knew that Master Zhang's judgment was absolutely correct, and he was filled with profound admiration.

Previously, he had prided himself on being the number one genius of Wanguo City, feeling complacent and believing no hero under heaven could surpass him. But upon seeing this young man, he realized that compared to a true genius... he still had a long way to go.

Returning to his side, he cupped his fists respectfully: "Master Zhang, what should we do next?"

"Eat!"

Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

Ruohuan Gongzi was stunned.

You had me spill meat soup and provoke him, and I thought you had some brilliant plan, but it's just... eating?

"The competition is about to start. Only with a full stomach can you have strength; otherwise, how can you win?" Zhang Xuan shot him a glance.

There was only half an hour of rest, and it was almost over. If he didn't eat quickly, the competition would begin soon.

"Alright!"

Knowing there was no other choice, he had to do as told. Gritting his teeth, he sat down and ate heartily.

Admittedly, the dinner prepared by the Alliance Leader's residence was lavish. Soon, he was full of food and wine, and the competition was about to begin.

"Memorize the content on this paper. When the competition starts, just read it aloud!"

Just as he was wondering how to deal with Qin Lei, Master Zhang handed him a blank sheet of paper covered in dense handwriting, clearly written while he was eating.

Curious, he glanced down at the paper. After a look, his eyes widened: "Master Zhang, you really want me to say... this?"

"Mm!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

His vision went dark, and Ruohuan Gongzi felt like crying.

Brother, are you afraid they didn't beat me to death just now?

If he actually said this, he reckoned that guy would rather forfeit the Master Teacher Competition than not strangle him to death.

"Stop the nonsense. Memorize it quickly. Once on stage, don't change a single word. Otherwise, I can't guarantee you'll win."

While he was sulking, he saw Master Zhang frown.

Ruohuan Gongzi's eyes brimmed with tears.

He should never have sought his advice. It felt like boarding a pirate ship. Now that things had come to this, there was no other way.

"Alright!"

Gritting his teeth, he memorized the content on the paper. Just as it entered his mind, the gong sounded, and Master Hong's majestic voice rang out again: "The competition continues. Master teachers on the arena, please ascend the stage!"

Everyone responded.

Arriving at the round platform, Ruohuan Gongzi took a deep breath and strode toward Arena A.

He had the air of a martyr going to his death.

It was too late to think of other plans now. He could only steel himself and follow Master Zhang's instructions. Death be it!

"Hmph!"

Qin Lei also arrived at the arena. Recalling the provocation from earlier, he was still burning with rage, about to explode.

"The competition begins. Now, each party shall discuss the content to be tested."

Seeing the participants on stage, Master Hong looked around.

"Baiyang Sect ranked higher in the last competition, so I choose first!"

With a cold snort, Qin Lei looked at the young man before him: "I choose... understanding of cultivation!"

"Ah?"

Hearing that it was exactly as he had guessed, the man had chosen this, Ruohuan Gongzi was startled.

"What? Scared?" Qin Lei's eyes flashed.

"Why would I be scared? Let's compete. State the rules!" Ruohuan Gongzi quickly said.

"You know your place."

Thinking the other would refuse, Qin Lei was surprised by his readiness and relaxed: "It's simple. You and I will each demonstrate martial techniques and point out flaws in the other's. Whoever points out more flaws wins."

"Mm!" Ruohuan Gongzi nodded.

...

"Just as you guessed!"

Watching this scene, Hall Master Kang and the others looked at Zhao Feiwu.

This girl was not a master teacher, yet she had guessed the competition content perfectly. Such wisdom was astonishing.

"Mm. Now we'll see if the cheat sheet Master Zhang gave is useful."

Zhao Feiwu smiled lightly.

She could only infer what the competition would test. Whether he could win depended on what Master Zhang had made Ruohuan Gongzi memorize.

"Mm!" Everyone nodded.

As they spoke, the two on stage had each finished demonstrating their martial techniques.

After watching Qin Lei's moves, Ruohuan Gongzi was completely confused.

He had never seen or even heard of the other's fist technique... How could he point out its flaws?

"According to the rules, I'll go first!"

Seeing the other's bewildered expression, Qin Lei sneered: "The fist technique you just demonstrated, if I'm not mistaken, is the Spirit-grade mid-rank [Seven Ultimate Fist]. It's a powerful technique, but unfortunately, your practice is inadequate... There are four flaws!"

"First, your true qi has just been elevated to the peak of the Mortal Transcendence Fourth Layer, and your power is not yet pure enough. Although your moves look correct, they are actually superficial..."

"Second, the Seven Ultimate Fist emphasizes ultimate heart, ultimate emotion, ultimate intent, ultimate grace, ultimate fate, ultimate thought, and ultimate obsession. You fail completely. Your moves cannot merge with emotion, and emotion cannot merge with intent. Even if you execute them, they are just empty forms!"

"Third..."

"Fourth..."

Soon, Qin Lei laid out the flaws in Ruohuan Gongzi's performance, each point hitting the mark. Hearing so many could easily make one lose confidence.

"Impressive!"

"With just one look, he pointed out four flaws. No wonder he's a contender for the championship. Terrifying!"

"Indeed. I also watched Ruohuan Gongzi's moves just now, but I didn't spot a single problem..."

...

Hearing Qin Lei's words, the crowd below erupted in murmurs.

Everyone was a master teacher with sharp eyes. Ruohuan Gongzi's moves had seemed perfectly smooth and rounded, as if he had practiced them for years...

Yet even so, Qin Lei could casually point out four flaws. His insight was not inferior to some half-step five-star master teachers.

"It seems Ruohuan Gongzi will have a hard time winning this round."

"Mm. At least I couldn't tell what martial technique Qin Lei just used."

"I didn't understand it either..."

The crowd whispered, all eyes on the arena, wondering how Ruohuan Gongzi would respond.

Even Qin Lei sneered and looked over.

His martial technique came from a relic and had been lost for who knows how many years. Even Master Hong might not recognize it, let alone this guy.

Thus, he was absolutely confident of winning this round.

"Speak. It's your turn. If you can't say anything, you forfeit!"

Seeing Ruohuan Gongzi's face flushed with frustration, unable to speak, Qin Lei snorted.

"Well..."

As if making a decision, Ruohuan Gongzi gritted his teeth: "If I'm not mistaken, you... have a problem with your brain!"

"Gah?"

The crowd fell silent.

Shouldn't he be explaining martial techniques? Why was he suddenly insulting him?

"What did you say?"

Sure enough, hearing this, Qin Lei nearly exploded on the spot.

"Your soul hasn't been fully nourished, yet you forcibly broke through to the Harmony Spirit Realm, letting true qi roam your sea of consciousness. Your soul has been damaged, and your brain has suffered injury. Is that true?"

Ruohuan Gongzi said.

"This..."

Qin Lei frowned.

After his teacher, Bai Kaizhi the sect leader, was killed, he had been anxious and attempted a breakthrough to the Harmony Spirit Realm.

To enter the Harmony Spirit Realm, true qi must enter the sea of consciousness and strike the Harmony Spirit acupoint. Only by opening this acupoint could one break through smoothly... He wasn't strong enough, and the forced attempt had indeed damaged his soul, causing headaches late at night.

But he had never told anyone about this, not even the sect elders. How did the other see it?

"Not only that, your entire body has hidden dangers from cultivation. To make a splash in this competition, you deliberately practiced an unknown martial technique... If I'm not mistaken, to master it, you need resonance from at least thirty-two acupoints throughout your body!"

"Thirty-two acupoints resonating—many techniques can do that. But this technique connects the Baihui and Yongquan acupoints, one absorbing the clear qi of the sky, the other absorbing the turbid breath of the earth. They merge like a cage, locking your soul inside your body!"

"In other words, without a special opportunity, it's almost impossible for you to break through to the Harmony Spirit Realm. If you don't believe me, try using true qi to test the Bihai acupoint. If it feels sore and numb, it means your soul is weakening. Or test the Qinzhen acupoint; if it itches, it means your body is stiff, no different from a cage..."

"Others cultivate to improve, but you cultivate to shackle yourself, unable to progress further... Isn't that a problem with your brain?"

Having started, Ruohuan Gongzi no longer hesitated. Gritting his teeth, he blurted out everything Master Zhang had made him memorize.

Death be it. If he didn't speak, he hadn't understood the other's technique either, and he would definitely lose the match.

After saying a long passage, he expected the other to charge over and beat him half to death, or at least curse him out. Instead, Qin Lei stood motionless, as if encountering something unbelievable, his face pale with fear.

"Could it be... I'm right?"

His heart skipped a beat.

When he first saw this content, he thought it was nonsense and couldn't be true. Once he read it out, the other would surely kill him. But now... this reaction. Could it be that with just a raise of his hand, Master Zhang had truly seen through all the problems and flaws in this guy?

"Of course, if you still don't believe me... try breaking through to the Harmony Spirit Realm again. You'll find it even more difficult, and your true qi won't even be able to enter the sea of consciousness, suppressed by a special force."

His eyes brightening, Ruohuan Gongzi gained immense confidence. Ignoring the other's expression, he continued: "As a peak four-star master teacher, you blindly practiced without understanding the essence of the technique, and you still dare to compete with me on understanding cultivation... Who gave you the nerve?"

Qin Lei staggered.

He had just tested the symptoms the other mentioned, and they all matched. Could it be... he had really practiced wrongly and gone astray?

As a master teacher, if he himself cultivated chaotically, how could he guide others? It could be said that without even competing, he had already lost.

"Alright, I'll say no more. But... if you correct the mistake now, it can still be fixed. Once it's too late, recovery will be impossible..."

Ruohuan Gongzi waved his hand: "I'll be magnanimous. If you concede, I'll teach you the solution."